What is really going on in Macedonia? Any outsider who claims to know, with certainty, is a liar. For the Balkans is a region shrouded in a thick impenetrable mist; dark with the shadows of hidden protagonists and ulterior motives. This is the reason for my upcoming journey to the region: it is necessary to go there and see the reality firsthand -- otherwise the truth can be elusive. Take, for example, the recent death of British paratrooper Ian Collins, NATO's first casualty in Macedonia.
What We Know
Collins and a companion were driving on the road from Skopje to Kumanovo when, suddenly, their journey came to an abrupt and tragic end. Collins was severely injured, and taken to Camp Bondsteel, and then to a hospital in Skopje, where -- five hours after the incident -- he died on the operating table. That is all we know for sure.
The Official Story
What we don't know, first of all, is who killed Ian Collins, or why they did it. The official NATO story -- one dutifully echoed by the Anglo-American media -- is that, as the [UK] Independent put it, "Macedonia's campaign of hate leaves NATO suffering first casualty." By failing to hail NATO troops as their saviors and liberators, and instead treating them like what they are -- an occupying army -- the Macedonian media and some sectors of the government "incited" a "boy gang" to stone Collins to death. According to this version of events, Collins was hit in the head with a large piece of concrete thrown by rampaging Macedonian youths. The Times quotes one alleged eyewitness, 18-year-old Sima Stojic, as saying that he saw them do it, and not only that but "I know the name of the kid who threw the concrete that hit the vehicle."
Entertaining Doubts
The Western media -- particularly the British media -- has taken this story and run with it. But is it true? Shortly after the first news reports of Collins' death were posted on the Internet, there were a lot of reasons to entertain doubts about the veracity of the official line. To begin with, Sima Stojic, the chief witness, popped up again, this time on Macedonia's A-1 TV, denying that he had ever told the Times any such story:
"'I haven't seen anything,' says the alleged eyewitness. 'I told them that the situation is very bad, and when they asked me if I've seen the stoning of the British soldiers, I told them that it happens occasionally, but that I have no information about this specific case.'"
Go for it, Sima!
And not only that, but, he says, they offered him money if he would refrain from speaking to other reporters. Mr. Stojic has announced that he will sue the Times -- hopefully for libel, since, in British law, this puts the defendant at a disadvantage. Britain's repressive libel laws have often been used to quash dissent -- witness the outrageous silencing of LM magazine -- and it'll be refreshing to see this sword cut the other way, for once. Go for it, Sima! Take 'em for all they've got!
Upended
We don't know exactly how Collins died. The official story is that Collins' head injuries were the result of being hit with a large piece of cement. But according to Dnevik newspaper, the medical staff that treated the injured soldier claims he had head injuries which could not have been the result of being hit with a rock. Reality Macedonia reports the doctors' claim that, "most probably," he was fatally injured when the vehicle was upended.
Routine Mission?
We don't have a clear idea of the circumstances in which Collins' death occurred. What were two lone British soldiers doing riding down the road from Skopje to Kumanovo, without an armed escort, at a time when tensions against Westerners are running high? Their mission may have been far from routine. By the time the Macedonian police arrived, the scene had been cleaned up, and the vehicle -- they were told -- already repaired. Dnevik and other sources maintain that, according to NATO, the two soldiers were carrying secret documents of great importance -- and that this accounts for the commandeering of the crime scene and the complete takeover of the investigation by NATO. Never mind that the incident occurred on Macedonian soil, and is properly the province of the local police authorities. NATO is dropping the presumption of Macedonian sovereignty very early on in this game.
Suspicion
Western news accounts are permeated with an air of astonishment at this atmosphere of growing Macedonian antipathy to the West. Danica Kirka of Associated Press has a ready explanation for the hostility:
"Nowhere is this hard-line anti-NATO sentiment more clear than in the media, which is still largely state-controlled, and there's no better example than its coverage of Collins' death. While NATO said Collins was struck by a flying projectile, Macedonian media suggested he may have died in some other way. Some reports said the incident was suspicious because reporters who went to the scene later found no evidence of a destroyed car and that NATO waited for hours before announcing the death. 'We doubt the incident happened at all,' an unnamed Interior Ministry official was quoted as saying by the country's major daily newspaper, Dnevnik."
In NATO We Trust?
What the interior ministry official probably meant to say is that "we doubt the incident happened at all the way NATO says it did" -- and where is the evidence to contradict him? Indeed, since NATO has impounded the evidence, and refused to let the Macedonians in on the investigation, we (and the Macedonians) have to take their word for it.
Smiling Benevolently
Ms. Kirka goes on to report on the propaganda campaign being waged by NATO to pressure the Macedonians to ratify the sweeping concessions made to the Albanians:
"Aware that its message of being the guarantor of the peace deal is not reaching the general public, NATO has taken out newspaper advertisements, featuring an explanation of the mission and photos of the two senior generals, smiling benevolently."
But all the benevolent smiles in the world, plus all the newspaper ads money can buy, are not enough to convince an occupied people to willingly give up their sovereignty.
JUSTIN RAIMONDO
Antiwar.com
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